So, like many, most of my past summers have been pretty boring. I mean, being out of school is awesome and all, but it’s not like we’re really doing ‘nething at all. You can only see your friends so much, and summer jobs usually aren’t the most thrilling. So while there’s absolutely no reason for you to listen to me, I’m set on not letting my summer do nothing; I’m going to do my work this year, and I’m going to follow through on at least a few of the multiple projects I have. How?
For starters, I’ve written up a list of things to do this summer, and I can flick my eyes off to the side and see it. It has 12 different things on it, with about a third of those being completely voluntary, and all with set goals and purposes. As my dad explained, projects are something that have a definite start and end. Things you do every day aren’t projects because they keep going. I guess a goal is a good thing to keep your eye on.
But even then, it’s easy to avoid doing it. I have the wonderful experience of watching my life disappear into video games. I mean, it starts out as just a break, then an hour later, you’re completely absorbed, and afterwards, about all you feel is that you’ve managed to waste time, because I can honestly say that I’ve never felt a true sense of fufillment from CS:S, and yet I still play. By the way, if you’re thinking you’ll start playing video games this summer as a new hobby, don’t even think about it. It’s about the worst idea ever. Coming from a gamer, don’t let video games ruin your life (on another note, if there’s someone out there who wants to play less, I’d like a little extrinsic motivation to stop, ie a running bet on who’ll succumb first).
So I’m definitely trying a new mindset, because I’ve found that if I rely on my own sense of responsibilty and productivity, I never get ‘nething done. Instead I (and you might) now think, “if the prettiest, sweetest girl I have a crush on was watching me for every moment of my life, would she be impressed?” Hell if I know why it works for me, but it does. I guess I figure, that at least in my academic experience, I can get away with lower productivity and let myself, because, what do I care? However, someone else might. And thinking about your parents watching you isn’t motivation; we’re teenagers. Our entire identity vs. role confusion conflict is about us trying to move away from external motivation, and become our own person. Unfortunately, raging hormones and a new world of emotions put a new concern in mind, a particularly romantic one. *shrugs* Regardless of the explanation, it works for me.
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